Dragon and Fox
by naluislife247
Summary: Punished for his destructive tendencies, Natsu is sent on a mission to find a mystical flower that could cure any curse. The issue? The flower is on a mountain covered with kitsunes, who just so happen to harbor a deep hatred for humans. All rights to Hiro Mashima
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A warm wind flows through the trees, rustling leaves as the trees sway in rhythm. Natsu lay in the grass, looking up at the stars that glittered in the night sky. Back at Fairy Tail Natsu had caused enough destruction that Makarov punished him by sending him on a mission. There were to be no friends and no help, not even Happy could tag along. Natsu wasn't even allowed to come back until he completed the job. So here he was, on a mountain covered by trees just outside a small tribal town. In all reality Natsu had gone to the Phoenix Mountains on the edge of Fiore but the people in this tiny town always referred to the mountain as "Βουνό δαίμονας" which roughly translated to "Demon Mountain". The job was to venture to the top of the mountain to retrieve a moonlit flower that supposedly cured any curse. Basically, people of the quaint Town of Eve, which is the name of the town, often fell prey to insanity. The only cure to this was the moonlit flower which, if made into a tea, would cure someone of any curse.

The job seemed rather easy and even Natsu questioned the chief of the town as to why he couldn't do it himself, after all if these people have lived next to the mountain for so long surely someone would be able to get the flower themselves. The chief adamantly refused the idea though and warned Natsu of a demon who has taken residence in the mountain. The young wizard can still recall the urgency of the chief's warning:

 _There is a nine-tailed kitsune that guards the moonlit flowers. These demons can grow up to nine feet tall and carry with them a blue flame. Remember, if a kitsune cannot kill you with its magic, it will certainly kill you with a curse. You must never provoke a kitsune, they are wicked creatures who crave destruction. You can tell how dangerous they are by the numbers of their tails:_

 _1-3 tails mean they are harmless and frightened easily, you must use this to your advantage and kill them immediately._

 _A 4-6 tailed fox are wary and will attack when provoked, be sure to prepare yourself for a fight._

 _And a 7-9 tailed kitsune will kill you regardless your innocence._

 _I pray for your safe return._

Tonight, marked the first night on the mountain and Natsu had yet to see or even smell anything out of the ordinary. He was beginning to believe that the chief had made it up, he was a strange man from the beginning. The chief's name was Erin and instead of the clothing everyone wore he had only a fur cape and baggy pants. Erin's house was decorated by vibrant furs and antlers, there were shelves full of magic guns and knives and leather furniture. Everything about Erin pointed to him being a hunter, but the man claimed to have injured his leg and would be unfit to hunt. Even Natsu could tell the man was a coward, but a job was a job and the sooner he could finish the sooner he would go home. Putting more thought into it, the kitsune theory made sense. After all, the whole town seemed to deal with one curse or another, so having a mythical nine-tailed fox who could curse everyone made sense. Regardless, with the progress Natsu is making, he should be able to reach the top of the mountain in two days. So, mildly disappointed by the lack of demon foxes and the intense loneliness of being separated from his friends, the dragonslayer nestles in the grass and falls into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"What happened to your ears!?"

Natsu wakes with a start feeling something hard ram into him, two hands are feeling through his hair and a frantic voice claims that his ears are gone. Looking up Natsu sees a girl sitting right on top of him wearing hardly anything. He screams, blushing madly as he shoves her off him.

She had wild blonde hair and furry yellow...fox ears? All she had on was a leather skirt and wrappings of some kind that covered her breasts. The girl eyes him curiously and with a flick of her tail she asks: "Is your tail gone to?"

Suddenly both of her hands are on his ass making Natsu squeak and shove her away. "I don't have a tail!" He yells frantically, his face as pink as his hair.

What the hell is this girl? He can't help but wonder as she crosses her arms and focuses on him, her fluffy tail twitching in agitation. Natsu had to admit that the girl did look cute like that, even if she was a startling sight to see. Unexpectedly she looks at him with sympathy.

"You poor foxling you must be cursed."

"What? No, I'm not a fox-"

"Oh no!", she gasps. "You're delusional to! But don't worry," she smiles showing her sharp teeth, "I know what you need!" Blue flames erupt from the girl and Natsu watches in awe as she transforms into a massive three tailed fox. The Kitsune was as tall as Natsu standing, its fur a beautiful gold with intricate red designs on the face and back of the fox. The Kitsune takes one look at him before darting into the woods leaving him behind.

"What the hell was that?" He voices out loud. Natsu cleans up his camping area before picking up his back-pack thing and continuing deeper into the woods.

He may be dense but Natsu knew one thing: he never wanted to see her again. The mere thought of her hands all over him making Natsu blush even deeper.

He was filthy, covered in dirt and sweat. Natsu wreaked of the forest and that blasted sun wasn't helping. Natsu had spent half the day hiking up the woodsy mountain and slipping and falling back down the mountain a good ways. He was getting used to kitsunes though, just like the chief said the 1 to 3 tailed kitsunes were easily frightened and scattered at the sight of him. He couldn't help but notice they were different colors: some had deep red fur with black designs, others had white fur with intricate blue designs, and then there were the golden ones who looked similar to that wild girl from before.

They were magnificent in Natsu's opinion, but at the same time they were sort of a pest. Whenever Natsu had to climb and ended up falling, he'd land flat on his back and there would be a Kitsune just watching him. In fact, that's all they seemed to do. Some followed for a short while and others braved taking a few steps towards him. But heaven forbid they help Natsu at all. No, they'd much rather watch.

He had yet to come across a 4 to 6 tailed one which meant he wasn't even close to his destination but at least he didn't run into her. Setting his camping supplies next to a tree he decides to take a break. It felt so good to take off his backpack that Natsu almost forgot how gross he felt. Even a guy like him had his limits.

Sitting up against the tree he closes his eyes and focuses on the sounds around him. Birds he had never heard before sang cheerfully in the trees, the wind whistled through the forest sending a breeze his way, and there was a trickling sound of water nearby.

Wait...water?

Natsu opens his eyes and gets up, he was so thirsty after all that hiking. After exploring further into the forest, he came across a stream that led Natsu to a small lake nestled in the woods. Not even caring what could be in the water Natsu cups his hands and drinks some for himself. It tasted awful but gods was he thirsty. The water was cold and welcoming, it lapped at his feet as if inviting him and Natsu took that invitation. He hadn't run into a Kitsune so far, so it should be safe right?

Natsu begins stripping his clothes, peeling them off his tan skin, the sweat making them stick to his body. Once everything was off he steps into the lake. Oh, it was heavenly, Natsu breathed a sigh of relief as he began to relax. Climbing this mountain was taxing and to find a lake was just what he needed. The job could wait, for now he was just going to take time for himself and clean up a little.

The harmonious moment was interrupted though as a cheerful voice declares: "I found you!"

There's a splash and the fox girl ends up being right across from him. She beams at him, completely unaware that he was stark naked.

"I couldn't catch your scent all day today! Brothers and sisters kept telling me of a filthy demon in the woods and I was worried for you."

"Ah well that's great and all but could you back up a little?" Blushing furiously, he desperately tries to back away but the girl just gets closer.

This was bad. This was very bad.

"What's wrong?" She asks, "are you hurt?"

"I'm okay, so um what's your name?" Natsu was, in every sense of the word, terrified. Knowing this girl, she'd probably try to touch him and there was a certain something Natsu was desperate to hide.

"Oh I'm Lucy," she smiles. "I'm the daughter of Jude."

"Right, okay, I'm Natsu. Now could you please leave me alone?"

He had to at least get his pants on, maybe if he ran fast enough she wouldn't see...?

Lucy hesitates at Natsu's sudden request, this foxling was quite the puzzle. No one cares about physical appearances, to a Kitsune you were as beautiful as the fox you turned into. This human like form was hardly necessary but Natsu seemed to stay in his human state all day.

Could he not turn into his true form? Was the curse preventing that to?

"Alright, I'll be back shortly though, I have something for you."

Just as Lucy leaves Natsu gets out of the lake as fast as he can. Hastily putting his boxers on and then his baggy pants, Natsu just zips them up when Lucy comes back.

The surprises didn't end there though, because now Lucy was holding out three dead rabbits. They had nasty teeth marks as if a certain fox had bitten into them. The carcasses stank but she shoves the dead rabbits into his hands.

"A sick fox needs meat to strengthen up. You'll need all the strength you can get if we're going to break this curse of yours."

"Lucy how long have these rabbits been dead?"

"Don't tell me your one of those picky eaters?" She huffs and folds her arms across her chest, "You should be grateful, I took them from my secret stash."

He makes a face as the bloody rabbits look at him with their cold dead eyes.

"Oh come on Natsu they're only a day old."

"You know what? Let's cook them."

Lucy furrows her eyebrows at this, her fox ears droop. "What is 'cooking'?"

"I'll show you!"

Considering Lucy's need to break Natsu's 'curse' she was probably going to stay with him, so he might as well make something out of it.

Natsu feels uneasy as he sets up the fireplace, kitsunes have a blue flame but his is red. What will she do when she sees this? And why did the other kitsunes refer to him as a demon?

It was...unsettling.


End file.
